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Equipping Christians to think, speak, and act

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Adam’s Rib

Courtroom Drama
1949 / 101 minutes
RATING: 8/10

There are two types of feminism:

  1. one demands equal respect for women
  2. the other demands identical outcomes for women – whatever men do, women must do to

It’s the flaws in this latter form of feminism that are the focus of this silver screen battle of the sexes.

When Doris Attinger finds her husband with another woman, she takes a shot at him and is charged with attempted murder. Adam Bonner is assigned to prosecute the case, and to his surprise his wife Amanda Bonner takes on the defense. The thing is, Amanda doesn’t care if her client is innocent or guilty – she instead argues that her client should be set free because that’s what a jury would do if they were dealing with a man caught in similar circumstances. If a man had caught another man with his wife and taken a shot at him, she is sure this attempted homicide would have been deemed perfectly excusable.

So, Amanda doesn’t want justice; she wants equal injustice for all.

It’s up to Adam to convince the jury – and his wife – that equal injustice just isn’t just.

This is a witty, dialogue driven movie that you have to watch right to the end for a satisfying but surprising conclusion.

Cautions

Topic matter, including both an affair and an attempted murder, means this isn’t a film for the kids.

The other caution would be that, no matter the biblical reference in the film’s title, this doesn’t have a Christian worldview undergirding its take on gender. It is, instead, a 1950s understanding of what makes men and women different. There is one big commonality though – Adam Bonner knows there are two sexes! That’s quite the stand, both then, and especially now. But that doesn’t mean he has much else right.

Conclusion

This is from another time, and fascinating as a reflection of that time. C.S. Lewis suggested that for every new book we read, we should read one old one because different eras have their own unique blindspots, and by sampling from times gone by, it may help us see past our own. I think that recommendation could hold for films too. The battle of the sexes has never gone away, but this is certainly a different take on it. So, watch this one old film with some friends, and get ready for a good discussion afterwards!

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Drama, Movie Reviews, Watch for free

Meet John Doe

Drama 1941 / 122 min Rating: 7/10 Director Frank Capra is probably best known for It’s a Wonderful Life, but that only became his best-known film later on. He actually had 13 films nominated for Oscars, including Meet John Doe in 1941. As in It's a Wonderful Life, Capra’s Roman Catholic upbringing is evident in the general Judeo-Christian ethic running through Meet John Doe. That doesn’t mean Capra's films are always theologically orthodox – we know angels don’t get their wings when a bell rings – but there is a moral depth to many of them, including this one here, that is almost unknown today. Set in the Depression, the story revolves around a reporter, her editor, and a derelict, and the politician who is trying to take advantage of them all. When a round of layoffs at The New Bulletin leaves columnist Ann Mitchell out of a job, she decides to go out with a bang. For her last column, she submits a letter from an unemployed “John Doe” who is threatening to jump off the roof of City Hall on Christmas Eve to protest society’s degeneration. The letter is actually a fake, concocted by Mitchell to express her own disgust, but it causes a sensation. Readers flood the newspaper with letters, some of them marriage proposals from concerned women, some job offers, but all wanting to know, “Who is John Doe?” When Mitchell’s editor finds out the letter is a fraud, he hires her back to prevent the public from learning about the deception. Then he takes things one step further, hiring a derelict former baseball player (played by Gary Cooper) to take on the role of Doe. What starts as a deception soon takes a positive turn. When the paper’s new “John Doe” begins making public appearances his simple speeches encourage a helping spirit among his listeners. John Doe Societies spring up spontaneously to enable neighbors to help one another. Doe becomes the leader of a huge, helpful movement… that’s built on the lie of his false identity. Things come to a climax when a conniving politician threatens to expose this lie, unless Doe endorses him. Caution Some have called this a Christian film, even though it came out of Hollywood. That claim is made because God's second greatest commandment, "To love your neighbor as yourself" (Mark 12:31), undergirds the whole movie. It's worth noting then, and sharing with any others in the family watching it with you, that the film largely divorces the Second Greatest Commandment from the First. We hardly hear about God, and the need to "love the Lord our God with all your heart, soul, and mind and with all your strength" (Mark 12:30). That makes this more humanist than Christian – Man-focused, rather than God-focused – but there is one scene which shifts it in a Godward direction, at least in part. To avoid spoilers I'll share the words, but not tell you the speaker or context: "You don’t have to die to keep the John Doe idea alive. Somebody already died for that once, the first John Doe, and He’s kept that idea alive for nearly 2000 years. It’s He who kept it alive in them. And, He’ll go on keeping it alive forever and always.” A powerful profession, but isn't it curious how Jesus is not actually mentioned by name? And this reference also doesn't talk about the real reason Jesus came, and what He accomplished. It presents Him more as an example to follow than as the One who suffered and died to take away the punishment for our sins. So... this is a near miss, but not really a Christian film. That said, it is a film Christians can really enjoy, understanding the truth of what is said here, and being able to fill in for ourselves what was not. Conclusion At just over 2 hours long, the pacing is slower than us modern folk are used to. But just be sure to make a little extra popcorn: this is a classic for a reason. That said, this is not the first movie I'd show anyone not already used to black and white films. Also, with suicide an ongoing topic throughout, this is not a film for younger viewers...but it wouldn't catch their attention anyways. So who should see it? This is a film for anyone who wants to peek into another culture and another time, to learn what they thought was important, and admirable, and worth fighting for. Meet John Doe is in the public domain, so you can watch it, for free, below. ...